Chapter 115 - 80: Flow State
"Ah? So that’s how it is..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lin felt a pang of disappointment.
He’d been thinking this would be a great chance to see her at the library every day, a natural way to grow closer.
He never thought they’d be separated before it could even begin.
’And by the time she gets back from her trip, my company stuff will probably have officially launched. I’ll be so busy I won’t have a moment to spare, and our chances to meet will be even fewer.’
But these thoughts only lingered for a moment.
He quickly adjusted his mindset and broke into a sincere smile. "That’s great. Go have fun and relax with your parents. Have a good time."
"Mm."
Shen Yan nodded. Seeing Chen Lin sucking in sharp breaths from the spiciness again, she pushed the unopened bottle of soy milk from her side of the table over to him.
"Here, drink this. It’ll help with the spice."
"Thanks." Chen Lin felt like he’d been granted a pardon. He quickly twisted open the cap and GULP, GULP, chugged down more than half the bottle.
The cool, sweet soy milk slid down his throat, finally taming some of the burning sensation.
"Should I... bring you back a gift or something?" Shen Yan asked, looking at him.
Chen Lin’s heart skipped a beat. He looked into her eyes, which seemed especially bright under the lights, and shook his head with a smile. "You don’t have to get me anything special. That’s too much trouble."
Then, his tone shifted, a hint of anticipation coloring his words. "But... if you see something you like for yourself, maybe you could grab one for me too."
Hearing this, Shen Yan froze for a second. Then, a smile bloomed in her clear eyes, and she nodded with a small smile of her own.
"Okay."
...
...
「August 1st, 8:30 AM.」
A sliver of golden sunlight crept over the windowsill, passed through the glass, and cast a bright patch of light on the desk.
A gentle breeze rustled the curtains. Outside, the sharp, long drone of cicadas announced the arrival of another scorching summer day.
Chen Lin, who was slumped over the desk, felt his eyelashes flutter. He slowly pried open his heavy eyelids.
"Aaaah..."
He let out a contented groan and lifted his head from the desk, feeling a dull ache in all his muscles, especially his neck.
But for a body enhanced by the "Little Champion" title, a minor issue like this was nothing.
He stood up, stretched his limbs, and rolled his neck. With a series of satisfying CRACKS and POPS, the soreness quickly vanished.
With Shen Yan gone for the past week, Chen Lin couldn’t be bothered to go to the crowded library anymore.
He had just found a random study room in one of the academic buildings—one set aside for the army of students prepping for grad school entrance exams—and had been grinding away at his graduation thesis every day.
Unfortunately, for some reason, ever since that day in the library, he hadn’t been able to re-enter that hyper-efficient "flow state."
As a result, his progress on the thesis was far behind schedule, which was starting to make him a little antsy.
Then, last night, something unexpected happened. He’d returned to the classroom after dinner and had barely sat down when that familiar feeling washed over him again.
He immediately held his breath and focused, pouring all his attention into his work. The words flowed like a torrent, and his fingers flew across the keyboard.
In one go, he worked straight through into the dead of night.
He couldn’t even remember when he’d fallen asleep. He just remembered being so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open. He’d been about to pull out his phone to check the time when his head drooped, hit the desk, and he was out cold.
The power in these study rooms stayed on all night. Plus, with it being the beginning of summer break, the campus administration was more lax, so no one came by on patrol to wake him. And so, he slept right there in the classroom until morning.
’Speaking of which, what time is it now?’
Chen Lin pulled the phone from his pocket, frowning when he saw its low battery. He decided he should head home first to take a shower and charge his phone.